The Moments That Change Our Lives
by Kyokotou
Summary: The Streets of Kohona have always been plagued with gangs,but at HL High the Student Council makes sure that all gang activities remain out.What will happen when the student council president discovers the school's prankster's involvement in the gang wars
1. Chapter 1

Slouching lower in my seat, I stifled a sigh. I could sense the stares of my classmates directed at me, the paranoid coiling in my stomach and the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end at the whispers from all around me.

_'Who can blames them?'_

I seethed silently, trying to keep my inner turmoil from showing on my face. I had been careless, too arrogant and caught up in the moment to realize the repurcussions of my actions.

_'This is my own fault... I under estimated them.'_

But then again, it could also have been that Uzumaki Naruto did not back down from a fight. '_Ever. It's my way of the...street fighter?...Gangster?...Ninja. Let's go with Ninja_.'

Glancing around, I noticed the quickly averted gazes that had been directed towards me only moments before.

Breathing through my nose, I forced myself to calm down. It wasn't that I was angry. Well, not at my classmates, anyway. I was panicking that someone would find out. _No._ No one would assume that a student of Hidden Leaf Highschool, the school that was reknown for having nothing to do with the gangs, would ever be involved in the recent gang wars that plagued the night.

Not even the school's notorious prankster.

Focusing my attention back to the front of the room, I tuned out the poorly hidden whispers and rumors swirling around me until the bell screeched, singling the end of first period. Gathering my things quickly, I was perparing to make a quick dash for my next class when my teacher's voice stopped me midstride, and encouraged the whispers all over again.

"Naruto! A word, please."

Grimacing inwardly, I plastered an all too wide, all too convincing grin on my face, and stepped away from the door I had been about to step through.

_So close._

Waiting for the rest of the class to leave, I tried to gauge my English teacher, Iruka-Sensei's, expression. I nearly sighed again at seeing the worry and disappointment written across his scarred face.

After the final student had left and the door slid closed, I let the grin slip from my lips and beat him to the punch before he could even open his mouth to speak.

"Don't give me that look, Iruka-Sensei, I know what I'm doing and I know my limits." At the incredulous look on his face, I let my famous face splitting grin grace my features once more, adding in a light, cheerful tone, "I just like to push them... a little."

Iruka-Sensei was an old friend of my late father's, and had acted as my doctor on more than one occation when I had refused to go to a hosipital after staying out too late.

"You're going to get yourself hurt again. You've been involved in this for too long and-- !" Thankfully, I didn't have to listen to the end of the speech that I could of quoted with Iruka, if it wouldn't have encouraged him to wirte a longer, louder, _tearfelt_ lecture about how bad being in a gang is.

_'Like I don't already know.'_

A movement by the door stopped Iruka-Sensei's scolding before it could get emotional, thus earning my undying gratitude.

Standing at the classroom door was a vaguely familiar face. Pupilless lavender eyes, long black hair tied back loosely between his shoulder blades. You wouldn't think he would be quickly forgotten. Student council, maybe? Soccer club? Oh well, either way he came bearing the excuse I had been looking for.

"Iruka-Sensei," He directed his words at Iruka-Sensei with a respectful nod, but kept his eyes locked on the discolouration the left side of my face turned. "Kakashi-Sensei needs to see you at lunch."

I smiled a genuinely happy smile, glad to dodge this conversation, at least for the moment. I called a loud fairwell and wave to the scarred man and quickly fled the classroom without looking back at Iruka-Sensei, though I could feel his gaze burning a hole in my back.

Escaping into the hallway, I headed towards my locker. I let the grin slip from my face once again, as the halls were now deserted and there was no one to act for. Maybe I would be lucky enough to get to class without--

"Hey! Wait up," But then again, I never had been a particularly fortunate person.

Glancing over my shoulder without stopping, I found the same pale eyed boy from Iruka-Sensei's class hurrying after me.

Forcing the grin back onto my face, I discreetly quickened my stride. "Hey, did you need something?"

I has known the current state of my face was going to draw attention as soon as I had spotted the dark purple blemish in the mirror, and I had practised an excuse, but I still wanted to prolong the half-assed explanation for as long as possible.

"What happened to your face?" A loud snort followed the blunt question from my persuer, and I had to fight not to roll my eyes.

_'Such _concern _the student council has for the students. Oh well, might as well have some fun.'_

Fixing a hurt and shocked expression in place, I whipped my head around to face my current annoyance without breaking stride.

"I'm _hideous, _aren't I?!" I cried, sorrow flooding my voice. I bit the inside of my cheek to force my eyes to water.

The urge to laugh was almost too great to squash at the horrified look on the teen's face, but I had years of practise holding in my emotions.

The boy took a step back, jaw slack with horror, pupilless eyes wide with confusion. Maybe if I was lucky he would warn the rest of the student council how 'sensitive' I was about my injuries. The school was more or less run by the _select few, _and the rest of the student body would follow their example to either bombard me with questions, or act as though nothing was wrong. Needless to say I prayed to the Gods of Ramen for the latter.

"W-what? Uh, well..." I had to give the kid credit, he seemed to compose himself quickly enough. Still, I gave a loud sniffle and jutted out my bottom lip for good measure. "The bell is about to ring, you should hurry to your class, Uzumaki-San." I watched as he gracefully, albeit quickly, darted around the corner, waiting until the too fast to be casual footsteps could no longer be heard before I let out a soft chuckle.

Maybe today wouldn't be as bad as I thought.

And maybe hell handed out snowcones for good behaviour.

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"So, your telling me, you didn't find out what happened to Uzumaki because he started to _cry_?" I was satisfied with how the irritation in my voice carried across the room.

I had _asked_ the Hyuuga this morning to find out what had happened to Uzumaki, confident the normally stoic and serious boy could handle the Dobe's tricks. It was now lunch and the Student Council still had no idea as to what had caused the Idiot's injuries.

'_This is not acceptable_.'

Glaring at the Hyuuga, I couldn't help but scowl. Oh, sure, the Dobe sniffles a bit and Hyuuga turns tail and runs, but I glared countless deaths unto the teen, and he barely bats an eyelash. Maybe I was losing my touch.

Standing abruptly, I headed for the door of room 218, the room the Student Council had assigned as their meeting room at lunch every day. The student body expected the Student Council, or at least the Student Council President, to know everything that happened to the school and the students, and in turn report that the problem had been solved back to them. It was how the Student Council retained their respect and power at Hidden Leaf. The Dobe had yet to ruin that fact, and that was not about to change. Even with such_ incompetent_ members.

"I'll go see what happened." I called back flatly, showing my annoyance by snapping the door shut behind me. '_And then I'll kill the Moron for causing trouble for me. Again.'_

Walking down the almost empty halls, I wondered where the Dobe would most likely be. He would normally be eating with his friends in the hallways, or attempting another lame, and extraordinarily troublesome, prank, but if he was trying to avoid people questioning him about how he got injured, 'O_ne of his damn pranks probably backfired in his face,' _he would most likely be hiding away from everyone. That knocked out the cafeteria. One of the classrooms? People could just walk in. Roof? Locked... '_Like that's ever stopped him before.'_

Turning up the closest flight of stairs, I couldn't help but smirk slightly. I couldn't wait to throw in Hyuuga's face that _I, _Student Council President, Sasuke Uchiha, had once again suceeded where he had failed. It almost made it worth having to deal with the obnoxious Moron.

Almost.

Reaching the top of the staircase, I tried the doorknob, a smirk lifting my lips when it silently turned the entire rotation, and I slowly opened the door an inch.

My smirk instantly grew just a tad wider as I heard an unmistakable voice shouting seemingly to itself.

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Groaning, I fell onto my back, finally finding santcuary from all the poorly hidden rumors and sniggers directed at me on the roof of this dreadful prison.

The morning had been hell. My second class, science, had been the same as english, seeing as I had arrived too close to the bell for anyone to question my...ah, _condition_. I was still hopeful that the Student Council would heed the pale-eyed kid's warning, with the rest of the school following their lead and leave me alone.

Of course, I had been forgetting just how far Sakura Haruno would go to _please _the Student Council.

When the bell had rung, I was perparing to make a quick escape for my next class, when Sakura had blocked the only doorthat had access to the hallway, glaring right at me with her arms crossed over her chest. So, instead of follow my instincts and leaving through one of the many windows, as any _sane_ person would have done, I plastered a large grin to my face, and strode right up to _Sakura-Chan._

_'Next time I'm going through the damn window_.'

As soon as I had opened my mouth to excuse myself, she started screeching about how I had to stop causing trouble for the Student Council. _Sasuke-Kun _was already so over worked, he didn't need the extra stress of chasing after _me._

_'I bet the Teme could handle it if he wasn't too stressed from dodging his_ fan club_.' _Which Sakura just happened to be co-founder of.

About half way through her speech, Sakura's best friend and rival, Ino Yamanaka, came storming up to _help. _As they both started in on how... well, I'm not quite sure what they were going on about. My ears were still ringing from the first bout of screeches. Luckily, they eventually turned on each other. I took the chance to duck around them and into the swarm of students that continued on their merry ways, far too used to Sakura and Ino's fights at any given time to be bothered anymore. I think I even saw some ear plugs.

Fortunately, none of the other student's had bothered to confront me like Sakura and Ino had, instead choosing to take bets as to how I had come about such injuries, and wait until I snapped and screamed the cause at them or until the Student Council got it out of me to find out.

By the end of third period I was more than a little insulted. Why was everyone doubting my pranking skills? Hadn't I proven time and again that I _did not_ make mistakes in my pranks?

_'Guess I'll just have to show them again.'_ A smile smile tugged at my lips. I still had a few tricks up my sleeves that would probably draw the attention way from my face.

I skipped out of the end of third period, right before lunch, debating whether I should head home early, and wait out there until my injuries were completely healed to return, dealing with the questions then, not to mention the mountain of homework that would be waiting for me, or if I should just hide out for lunch and take out my frustations later.

I was already falling behind in math.

So I had headed to the roof, knowing no would bother to look for me here. Toying with the lock on the door for a minute or two before it clicked loudly, I pushed it open and let it swing closed behind me, grinning to myself all the while at my self-proclaimed refuge.

Shielding my eyes from the sun with my forearm as I lay on my back, I winced when I put too much pressure on my bruised features.

'_Damn it_.' There was a vibrating in my pocket could only lead to no good.

Sighing, I rummaged around in my pocket for a second before pulling my cell phone out, taking an extra moment or two before drawing my arm still thrown over my face down from my eyes to peak one open tentively at the offending device, groaning when I recognized the name flashing on the caller ID.

Willing myself to calm down, I flipped the phone open and held it to my ear. "Hiya, Gaara. What's up?" I tried in my lightest, loudest tone.

"_Explain_." I couldn't help my flinch at the cold, one word response.

_'This day just keeps getting better and better_.'

"Explain? What kinda greeting is that? Really, Gaara, you should work on your manners." It felt like my mind was frozen. How the hell had Gaara found out already? I swear that kid has minions _everywhere_.

"_Naruto_." There was no arguing with that _damn tone_. The tone that carried across the message 'defy me and I'll use my pyshic abilities, that I do have indeed have and yet have been denying from Naruto just to screw with his head, to crush you via sand. Your choice'.

"Yes, Gaara?" My brain was still stuck in an iceberg.

"_Explain_." There's going to be hell to pay. I could no longer remember my half-assed excuse.

"Uh, right." I've never heard Gaara laugh before. I doubted he would start now.

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Stopping at the door, I listened to the Dobe's muffled shouts, answering my questions unbeknowningly.

Unfortunately, a hundred more were quick to take their place.

"_Explain? What kinda greeting is that? Really, Gaara, you should work on your manners_."

There was a short pause, and I opened the door a little wider.

"_Yes, Gaara_?"

Gaara? The name sounded fimiliar, but I knew he didn't go to Hidden Leaf. Gaara...

"_Uh, right_." What had that Gaara kid said to make the Dobe agree so quickly? Was that even humanly possible?

"_You see_..." I heard the Dobe take a deep breath, and his next...statement, I suppose it would a nor-quite-but-close-enough title, came so quickly that it sounded like one word.

"_IwascheckingoutthenewestgangonthesouthsideofKohohawhenIranintosomepunksfromSoundFourtheystartedafightsoItookthemdownbutthebigone, And I mean HUGE, Gaara, really! You remember my friend Choji? This kid looked like he had ate him! CameatmefrombehindwhenIwastakingdowntheredheadandthespiderycreepishoneandwhenIturnedtoblckhimtheredheadlandedasuckerpunchtomyface_."

I stood with my hand on the door knob, slowly trying to process what I had just heard. Someone had eaten Choji? There were Canabals in Kohona? '_I didn't know the Moron did drugs. I suppose that would explain alot. And something about a red spider?'_

I could hear the Dobe panting, obviously trying to say everything in one breath. I discreetly opened the door a bit more, peeking out of the crack to see the Idiot sprawled out on his back not a yard from the fence surrounding the perimeter of the roof, one hand holding the phone to his ear and the other arm thrown over his face.

"_Yes, Gaara_?" The Idiot was still breathless as he answered after a few moments of silence.

A loud sigh, followed by a groan as the Moron moved his arm away from his face to push himself up into a sitting position, back facing toward me.

"_I said I was checking out one of the more recently active gangs in Kohona, they've been around for a while, but they started getting a lot more members lately, and they've been causing some trouble on the South end of town_."

I felt my face tug down into a frown. What the hell was the Moron doing checking out a gang? He was a prankster, sure, but he wasn't a delenquient.

"_I wasn't really paying attention to the other people in the streets, it wasn't quite dark yet... Yes, Gaara, I know that people like us can't let our guard down... No, I just had a hood. I was just planning on watching them last night, and then sending out a warning tonight if they were breaking the rules..."_

I was completely lost. The Dobe was really a stalker? Why the hell would he be following a gang around? Was he planning to join one? He'd get himself killed. And expelled. I would see to that.

"_I was just planning on waiting out in an alley for a while, but after a while the Sound Four...Yeah, those ones... No idea what they were doing in Kohona, but I couldn't exactly start demanding answers as I was, I would have given myself away as a member of... I thought it would be easier to keep tabs on the gang if I wasn't a notable gang member myself, I mean, what kind of idiot would knowingly break the rules in front of one of us_?"

Impossible. Naruto Uzumaki was part of a gang? He was just a prankster! He never actually did anything to hurt people. At least not directly, even if his damn pranks were slowly driving me insane and the Principal into an early retirement.

As something slipped past the thick fog in my brain of the innocent, naive little prankster that was 'The Dobe', I registered one word above the rest.

_Rules_.

There were no rules in gangs. It was all or nothing, kill or be killed. Ruthless. What the hell was that Moron going on about?

"_No, they were just picking a fight at first, trying to see if I belonged to a gang before they started something. When I didn't throw a title in their faces, they tried to demand some cash. When I did nothing, one pulled a knife... Awwe, you care! How sweet, Raccoon-Tan**1**... What the- Shut up, my guard is perfect, dammit_!"

None of this made sense. Uzumaki was attacked by a gang, but all I had heard was that he had a bruised cheek. That was practically unheard of in Kohona, and considering The Moron's big mouth, it was less then likely he would get away with so little.

"_Yes, yes, I made sure it wasn't for show. I waited until the one with the knife rushed me until I took him down... Um, broken wrist and a pop to the head_?"

I saw the Idiot hold the phone away from himself as though it were a bomb, gingerly holding it between his thumb and forefinger at an arm's length, but I still couldn't hear the voice on the other end.

"_S-self defense? It's very popular right now, especially with the streets being so dangerous... There were three more. Two attacked when they saw their buddy go down, I thought the other one... Yes, the one that looked like he ate Choji... I thought he had made a break for it, but I heard him moving behind me, for such a big guy he's __**fast**_,_ so I twisted out of the way, and he took down the spidery looking guy in a head long tackle, hehe, you should have _seen_ the look on the guy's face when he saw his buddy coming at him, Gaara, it was too great...Oh, uh, right, sorry, when I went to go back to the red headed chick, I think she had picked up a rock or something, and I didn't block before she hit my face... No, dammit, my guard is great! I was distracted, I say, distracted!_"

Even when talking about something that would cause others nightmares and to be distraught, the Dobe was as obnoxious as ever.

"_I took the girl down, and then the big one after that... No, the spidery one was out cold from the big guy's tackle, heh... I was think about leaving a warning but... I'm sorry! I don't think she saw my face, but the girl knocked my hood down_!"

I couldn't take this anymore. I didn't understand any of this.

But I would.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the down wide open, making sure my stoic mask was firmly in place, giving away nothing. I watched as the Dobe made a choking, gasping noise and whipped around, already on his feet.

Wide blue eyes stared in shock, mouth gaping like a fish as his words seemed to catch in his throat. I took the chance to look him over, only hearing about his face, only having heard the rumors, since I didn't have a class with him until after lunch.

Two jagged cuts ran from under his left eye to just over the three scars that ran horizontal on either cheek. From under the left eye until the bottom of the middle scar was a deep purple colour, looking darker than it actually was compared to bright azure eyes and sun kissed hair. The right side of the Dobe's face was unscathed, albeit the three scars.

Eyes trailing downward, I noted bandages hiding a tanned neck, and realized I had just heard the edited addition of Uzumaki's attack. Bandages also ran up the boy's right arm, fingers to elbow, with an orange wrist band over top at the wrist, the Dobe's small addition to the standard uniform of black slacks, white dress shirt, and black tie and blazer.

Trailing back up to find the blonde's face, I caught the nervous tugging at the end of his untucked dress shirt, the sleeves had been rolled up to the elbows and blazer and tie at been discarded on the ground beside his feet.

I couldn't believe how different he looked to me now. The outfit was the same, the hair, the eyes, the small but obnoxious touch of orange. It was all the same, and yet I no longer saw the lithe body caused from running away from myself and the teachers after being caught in one of his pranks and genetics, but from fighting on the streets. I noticed how prominent the muscles became in the small unbandaged forearm as the teen's hands curled into fists and uncurled, only to curl again.

"Gaara?" I looked back to Uzumaki's face to meet his guarded blue eyes. "...I'm going to have to call you back."

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There are moments in our lifes that can change them forever. Some are small and unnoticable, and trigger other small events that can gradually lead us unto another path in life.

Others are bold, and demand attention. They can alter every aspect of our lifes, and force us on to the next path immediately.

As fate would have it, it would seem I have once again fallen into the latter.

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_1. '-Tan' is a childish form of '-chan'_

_This is my first fanfiction, please let me know the plots too played out or just plain boring. Praise or flame, I take no offense! Thanks,_

_KyoKotou_


	2. Rules

_K. R. Ukido: Thank you for the advice and the offer, if it's not a hassle for you, I would really appreciate it! _

_Aliway: Thanks for reviewing_

_QUEENJJ123ABCRESPECTBABY: I never realized how vindictive I am until I read your review and thought 'Hm, maybe I should wait another week or two...' Sorry! Thanks for reviewing_

**Warning**: Violence, language, eventual yaoi... probably

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto nor any of it's characters. Why? Life likes to screw me over like that.

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Naruto held his phone in a clenched fist, shifting from foot to foot as he waited for the Uchiha to speak. He kept glancing up every few seconds, perferring to keep his eyes on the ground rather than the teen in front of him that seemed to be trying to disect his brain, but the raven haired teen's expression didn't change, nor would he say anything.

_'How much did he hear?' _Naruto wondered as he risked another glance at the other teen through his bangs. '_People can't find out, it would ruin everything we've worked for... but I think people might be a little suspicious if the student council president just up and disappeared.'_

The raven haired teen's expression remained impassive while his brain was in a turmoil, trying to make sense of what he had just heard, and also trying to make the younger teen crack under the pressure of his gaze. It wouldn't be the first time.

Just when Naruto was considering walking around the statue-like teen, Sasuke started forward. Acting out of reflex, Naruto began backing up. It was only a few steps before Naruto's back collided wth the tall chain link fence surrounding the perimeter of the roof. Sasuke stood in front of him, hands laced through the holes in the fence on either side of the blond's head, staring down at the blonde with a calculating stare.

"Um, Teme? Lunch is almost over, we should be heading to class n... okay, never mind." Naruto trailed off nervously, having no experience with the Uchiha's death glare up close. Usually Naruto would get the glare as he ran away from the scene of a prank, and from that distance you could really only tell it was a glare of death if you squinted.

"How did you hurt your face, Dobe?" Sasuke would give the moron a chance to explain, before he called him on his lie. If his excuse was already out of the way, it would be easier getting the truth out of the blonde. It also helped that the idiot seemed to be panicking, apparently thinking more along the lines of an escape route, with how his eyes kept darting around, than with his excuse.

"M-my face? What's wrong with it?" Naruto stammered, shrinking back a bit against the fence, wondering if it would seem suspicious if he climbed over and jumped off the roof. Probably. He briefly wondered if he could pull the same trick as he had with the first student council member from this morning, the pupilless eyed boy, before he remembered the Damn Bastard was completely apathetic. Naruto could be a blubbering mess at his feet and the raven would still demand answers without a hint of sympathy or discomfort. No need to kill his dignity for no gain.

"Other than the large gaping hole? It's the wrong colour." The raven teen smirked at the insulted spluttering coming from the smaller teen.

"Wh- Son of a- Bastard! I'll have you know I fell!" At the incredulous look from the other teen, Naruto felt obligated to add in a defient tone, "Awkwardly."

"So you're telling me, your face looks like a grape because - Do _not _interpret me, Dobe! - because you fell. _Awkwardly_. On what, exactly? Barney? Why don't you explain to me what you were talking about with Gaara."

Instead of snickering and asking if the Great Uchiha was still friends with Barney, Naruto let his face fall blank. Since Sasuke had become the Student Council President, the Student Council was always able to convince the Principal of Hidden Leaf High to expel the students involved with gangs. Being at Hidden Leaf was the perfect place for Naruto, since no one would suspect a student to have anything to do with the gang wars.

"What exactly did you hear?" Naruto glanced up again at the taller teen's face, searching for some kind of hint of emotion. The stoic mask was forever in place, but the fair haired teen could see the confusion and suprise in the onyx eyes at Naruto's blunt question.

Sasuke leaned back on the balls of his heels, but kept his arms connected to the fence. What the hell was the Dobe trying to pull? Since when did he have a poker face? A mask? Caught off guard from the blond's lack of resistance, Sasuke answered truthfully.

"Most of it, I think, but I don't understand all of it. Explain what you meant when you said you were checking to see if the gang was breaking the rules."

A small, bitter smirk flittered across the blonde boy's face before it dropped back into an expressionless mask. Looking down, Naruto's bangs hid his eyes as they began to unfocus as he tried to remember word for word what he had said to Gaara, and what he could afford to tell the Uchiha to remain at Hidden Leaf.

"You... probably won't believe me. The way things have been going recently, I wouldn't believe it, either." Naruto started hesitately, fidgetting. Glancing up quickly to make sure the Uchiha was still paying attention, and swiftly sweeping around one last time for an escape route, Naruto continued in a low voice, determined not to be over heard this time, "There are... certain boundaries... rules, gang members can't break, or other... well, they aren't really gangs, but for the moment that's the closest title I can think of... specific gangs will either take care of the members breaking the rules, or if it is the majority of the gang, disband the entire group."

At the finely raised eyebrow, Naruto smirked slightly again. "You think I'm lying?" He challenged arrogantly.

Sasuke choose to save that question until his own were answered. "What are the rules? How do you know about this?"

Shrugging, Naruto looked at particularly interesting speck on the concrete as he answered slightly grudgingly, "The rules are pretty basic, but some places have more strict rules. It depends on who it is inforcing them, most of the time. For Kohona, it's no killing, no involving anyone outside of the gangs in fights, and sticking to your own territory, unless officially won. There are some more, but those are the basic rules that all gang members need to know."

"How do you know?" Sasuke repeated. His first thought was that the Dobe was lying, but the conversation he had over heard earlier seemed to be making more sense the more the blonde explained. Even if the Dobe had a good imagination, he seemed to be a rather poor liar, and Sasuke doubted he would be able to make up such a complex lie on the spot. '_Dobe doesn't have enough brain cells_.'

"I... I've been charged with keeping Kohona in line. The... _gang_ I'm with... the section, anyways. There aren't many of us, but we're good at what we do. We are all in charge of our own city or town, and we call the others to back us up when needed. Most of the time, we're_ not _needed. The fear of us is usually enough to keep the smaller gangs in line, and the bigger ones, the ones that get too arrogant, they're easy enough to take care of, but recently... they've been getting more and more out of control. We don't know why, but even the more recently formed gangs have been involving innocents... it's like they're trying to gain a reputation, but we can't figure out what for... who is it they want to acknowledge them? What could possibly be coming?"

By the end, Naruto seemed to be talking more to himself than to Sasuke, but the raven was still hanging on every word. Were there really gangs that kept other gangs in line? There was no way _Naruto_ could be taking care of Kohona's gangs all by himself. He could barely take care of himself. Though, killings caused by gangs outside of other gang members had been fairly sparse up until a few months ago.

A shrill ringing caused both teens to jump apart violently, Sasuke whipping around to find the source of the piercing noise, Naruto cursing loudly as he fell away from the fence, stumbling to stay up right.

"Shit! I think my heart stopped beating! Oh, wait, there we go. I completely forgot about class. Shit, damn it, damn, dammit! I'm dead if I'm late again!" Naruto scooped up his things and started quickly towards the door of the roof, stopping short when Sasuke grabbed his elbow in a death grip as he tried to rush by.

"This conversation isn't over yet, Dobe. You'll finish explaining _everything._ Later." With a final squeeze, Sasuke strode past Naruto, hardly acknowledging the loud "_Ouch_!" and the string of curses following after him.

Watching until he could no longer see the older teen's outline in the shadows of the staircase through the still open door, Naruto allowed himself to sink to his knees, a shaky hand tugging at messy blonde spikes. He hadn't meant to say so much, but by the end he had pretty much just been thinking out loud, relieved to able to voice his concerns out loud, to someone who could look at the situation from a different, unbiased view point. His part in the war was all about secrecy, never letting anyone find out who he nor the others were.

It was such a relief to get the words out, but now that they were, they were more than likely going to cost him.

A humorless laughter surrounded Sasuke as he descended the final steps, the soft sound of "_Gaara's going to _kill_ me_." Reaching him before he entered the busy, oblivious hallway.

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Naruto waited a few minutes after the second bell, the one that signaled that the student's were now late for their classes, to push himself off the ground.

Deciding to skip the rest of the day, Naruto hurried down the staircase that connected the roof to a hallway on the second floor, letting out a sigh of relief when he found the hall was empty. The blonde practically ran to his locker, shoving the books he would need into his bag, though he doubted he would do his homework either way, slammed the locker door closed. The blonde fled the school quickly, eager to put some distance between himself and the Uchiha, as well as the other probing and gossiping teens.

Naruto's mind was in a haze as he ran through the streets of Kohona, ignoring the stares from the few people walking down the streets as he rushed past them.

The blonde seemed to reach his apartment far too soon, the thoughts he had been out running on his way home now crashing down on him as he unlocked his door and walked inside the small but decent apartment he had called home for the last eight years.

Falling back against the door as soon as it had closed, the blonde slipped down onto the floor with his knees drawn to his chest, hands tugging at blonde hair painfully, and eyes unfocusing as the scene from the roof less than an hour ago played over and over in his mind.

Sasuke Uchiha, the Student Council President, the seventeen year old that ran Hidden Leaf High from behind the scenes, keeping tabs on all the students and kept everyone in line. Even before Uchiha came to Hidden Leaf, the Student Council had existed, but it had never been very effective. Students that cared more about how the title looked on college applications or resumes than the responsiblity that came with it were in charge, allowing the students to do as they pleased as long as they were left in peace.

When Sasuke had become the Student Council President in his first year, he had told everyone that things were going to change, that the school was going to become respectable. In less than a year, Hidden Leaf had gone from a hang out for gang members during the day, to one of the most notable schools in Fire Country. Naruto wasn't sure how the Uchiha had managed it, all he knew was that Sasuke had gotten rid of every student that was involved with the gangs.

_'I'm so screwed,' _Naruto had remained undiscovered during the witch hunt for gang members, acting as a class clown instead of a deliquent. Hidden Leaf was the perfect cover now, as no one would suspect a gang member to be able to get past an Uchiha.

_'I could ask Baa-Chan or Ero-Sannin to pull some strings if Uchiha-Teme talks to the Principal,' _Naruto gave a grimace and a forceful tug at his hair, pulling a few strands loose, _'but I would _never _hear the end of it.'_

Naruto stared at the opposite wall with unseeing eyes, once again going over what he had told the Uchiha.

Naruto considered in passing asking Gaara for advice, but quickly got rid of the idea. If Gaara found out that he had been discovered, he would most likely come to Kohona and deal with the problem himself.

Which would be bad for Naruto and Sasuke, but Naruto was a tad bit more worried about what Gaara would do to him. _'Uchiha-Teme would get a merciful death, but Gaara's not allowed to kill me.'_

A sigh broke the silence as Naruto used the door to pulled himself to his feet, willing away the seemingly inevitable conclusion as he walked into his bedroom, soft twilight flittering into the room from the open window.

Walking father into the room, the blonde opened the trunk at the base of his twin sized bed, staring down at the neatly folded clothes, the well organized weapons on top of a large pile of folders, and the porcelain mask looking remarkable realistic to that of a fox sitting safely on top of the clothes, staring back at Naruto his dark, empty eyes.

Pulling the mask and the clothes from the trunk and setting them on the bed, the blonde began to undress, letting his mind fall blank.

This wasn't the time to be worrying about the Uchiha, he had a job to do and couldn't afford the distraction.

Pulling a large black hoodie over his head, the blonde picked up the mask, raising it to eye level.

_'Nothing else matters right now. I'll deal with Uchiha tomorrow.'_

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Sorry, I know it's pretty short, but I didn't want it to be too long and boring. Just one is good**.**

Please let me know what you think! Too serious, too over done? Do you like first person point of view or third? I don't think I've seen a fic quite like this before, but let me know if I'm wrong,

KyoKotou


	3. Warning

_1221ba: Thanks for reviewing. I know that this is going to be a SasuNaru fic, I'm just not sure how far the relationship is going to go yet. Sorry to disappoint you, and anyone else that was hoping otherwise._

_mickey8701: Thank you for reviewing and for the advice, I think I'll keep it third person unless it's a memory._

_Angle of Anime: Thank you for pointing out my mistake, I really didn't notice. No worries, you didn't come across snotty in the least._

**Warning**: Violence, language, more likely to be Shonen-ai than yaoi. I'm kinda a pansy, sorry. Also, do not try any of techniques described in this chapter, I am not a certified Taijitsu instuctor. If you think you would like to try, contact a local Dojo for lessons first.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto nor any of it's characters. If I did, I doubt I would be writing this. The Taijitsu techniques previously mentioned were not invented by me, only tweaked.

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When looked at in passing, Kohona Gakure was a truly beautiful place. Old and new buildings blended together for a modern, gothic trend, with plenty of trees and flowers, but not so much as to look over grown. The lively people of Kohona shared smiles with each other in passing, no matter the age. Yes, there was no denying its beauty.

But as with most beautiful things, in only a fleeting glance could one miss the thorns.

As if to contradict Kohona's beauty as seen in the light, when the darkness ebbed at the streets of Kohona, there was nothing but fear, every shadow seemingly held a threat, every bump in the night echoed and magnified in the ominous silence.

The silence, as it was, was a welcome to the few brave or desperate enough to test their luck in the deserted streets after dusk. Dispite the paranoid tricks of the mind brought on by fear, the silence was a blessing. In the silence, every movement could be heard, footsteps, laughter, yelling, begging, and screaming all warnings of the approaching danger.

It was when the silence was broken that there was true reason for alarm.

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A dark haired woman not yet in her thirties dashed through the streets of Kohona, panting loudly and eyes darting every direction.

Stumbling over her own feet, the woman managed to twist down a nearby alley, leaning heavily against the wall as her hand rose to her mouth to stifle a sob. Nausea burned her throat and exhaustion kept her from thinking straight.

The woman's ears strained for the sound of her pursuers, the slurred yells or the clumsy footsteps of the alcohol ridden men.

_Why_? Why had she accepted the graveyard shift at the hosipital? She knew how dangerous it was at night, especially alone, but she just couldn't leave. Not until that little girl's fever broke...

Now it was her life on the line. It was true when people said '_no good deed goes unpunished'._

She had just been a few blocks from the hosipital, finally feeling calm enough to go home when the twelve-year-old girl's temperature, the one she had been watching over expectantly for the last three days, had dropped by two degrees, when the woman had heard shouts coming from just a head of her.

Slowing to a stop when she approached the mouth of the alley that the noise seemed to be coming from, she hesitated for a moment, trying to see if she could sneak past without being noticed or if she should turn back and head the long way home. Just when she was preparing to made a dash across the opening, a loud, pained cry had her rushing around the corner, a scream bubbling up from her throat before she had time to think the action through.

In front of her were seven figures, most secluded in the shadows, four forming a semi circle around the three in the center, two standing behind the seventh. The man in the middle was hunched over, the only thing holding him up being the death grip the other two figures behind him had on his arms.

It took a moment for the woman to realize why she had screamed, but when six heads shot around to face her, the pitiful light from the street lamp behind her had caught on the metallic surface in one of the figure's hand, the smooth metal almost completely drenched with a glossy red substance.

Stumbling back, the woman looked from the knife held positioned in front of the man in the middle to the man himself, breath laboured and desperately reaching for his stomach, the same substance that bathed the blade staining the front of the man's shirt.

It was as if all of the woman's senses were flaring to life one by one, as if she had been disconnected from herself, and only now was everything starting to work together.

After the first sight, came the smells. The overwhelming reek of sweat, alcohol, and the heady stench of rusting metal that was all too fimiliar to her already. Blood. Blood. ..._Blood!_

The sounds came next. It had been silent just a second ago to the woman, but now she was all too aware of the loud, desperate breathing of the man in the middle, the hissing of the other figures, and the steady shuffling as a few slowly moved toward her.

Again, without thinking, she acted. It was as though her body was on autopiolet, aware the her mind was in the middle of a break down. 'Blood. Blood! _Blood!' _Was the mantra continuously going through her mind, her feet carrying her as fast and far from the scene as possible.

It wasn't until a loud crash echoed behind her was she aware of the cursing and shouting, as well as the pounding footsteps from behind. They were following her. _'I'm going to die_.'

Her viens suddenly felt as though they were on fire, and her pace quickened, adrenaline brought on by panic and fear. _'I'm going to __**die**__!'_

Mind slowly returning, the woman became painfully aware of the cramps in her sides and shoulder, and the desperate gasping as her lungs yearned for the air she seemingly couldn't get.

Stumbling over her own feet, the woman managed to twist down a nearby alley. One thought playing on repeat in her mind.

_No good deed goes unpunished._

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Crouched close to the ground, a hooded figure waited in shadow for any disprution to the silence. The silence that was weighed down by the darkness, feigning peace.

_Peace_. An impossilbe concept in almost all of Fire Country, yet it was what _they_ fought so hard to obtain. Perhaps it wasn't worth it, maybe it wouldn't last. But _they_ would continue the seemingly futile fight for peace nonetheless. It was the only thing any of _them_ had left to this world.

Fighting to end the wars. Killing to end the murders.

Brought out of his musing by a shrill scream, the hooded figure's head snapped up, revealing a porcelain mask resembling that of a fox. Slowly rising to its feet, the figure remained hidden in the shadows, listening eagerly for any hint of a fight.

Catching the sound of rapid footsteps, the masked figure swiftly followed after, keeping to the darkened walls rather than the poorly lit sidewalks.

Adrenaline kept the figure alert and wary, while an eagerness that would later revolt the hooded youth kept him at a steady pace. The scream had sounded not too far from where he had been hiding out, and the scent of blood was thick in the already tainted air.

Silently the youth came to a stop at the mouth of an alley where the blood smelt the strongest. Peering around the corner, the masked teen moved forward, reaching the side of the sprawled out man cautiously, bringing an arm up to cover the mouth and nose of the mask in an attempt to block out some of the overwhelming stench.

Dispite the caution, it was obvious the man was no longer breathing. Kneeling beside the prone man, the hooded teen quickly checked the man's vitals for confirmation before checking the injury.

_No mark__**1**__. Another gang attacking innocents_.

A second scream broke the ominous silence, once again encouraging the masked youth forward. The further the youth went, the louder the shouts became.

Hugging the shadows, the figure quickly made it to the source of the noise. Six men were blocking the enterance to an alley, shouting at something hidden in the alley.

Silently making his way forward, the hooded youth grinned widely, only for it to be hidden away by the mask. It had been such a stressful day, it would be good to pound some of the tension out. He knew it would turn into a fight. It would be impossible for it not to, with how one of the men in the front was moving into the alley with an already bloodied knife in hand.

Swiftly, the figure started forward, reaching the men in the back without being noticed. From where he stood, he could see a mid aged woman seated in the alley, staring pertrified at the man with the knife.

_No mark_.

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The woman's eyes trailed from the man approaching her to the others behind him, her mind closing down from panic and fear until she only felt numb and detached from herself.

She was going to die. What an odd concept to grasp. What would happen when her body no longer worked? She had been around death for the past seven years, working at the hosipital in such a corrupt town, but she had never really considered what happened after, never wondering how and when her time would end.

Eyes flickering through the grinning, eager faces, her eyes lay to rest on a smaller figure in the back, whose beautiful face reminded her of a demon.

_Maybe it's all just a nightmare. Maybe I'll wake up, _she mused, watching absently as the demon rose one hand to knock sharply against the base of the neck and shoulder of one of the grinning men, flinching slightly as he landed with a resounding _crash_.

The other men rounded on the demon, but it didn't seem to notice. It seemed to only be watching her, as though expecting something from her.

_If this was a dream, I would be able to do anything. But if it's a nightmare, I can do nothing but wait for the end._

The demon stopped a fist aimed in the facinity of its face by catching the crook of the elbow with the edge of a straight hand, quickly moving the apendage to cup the man upside the head, before sinking slightly and bending its arm back, so an elbow landed under the man's jaw.** 2**

The next man was stopped by a well aimed spinning kick to the chest, sending him into the man that had been rushing forward behind him, taking them both to the ground loudly.**3** Another fist was dodged skillfully, the out stretched arm caught by the demon and pulled down to knock the man off balance and to expose the side of the man's neck, that was swiftly struck with a half formed fist before the demon was moving on. **4**

The second last man was caught with a crestant kick to the knee by the demon as he tried to rush past. A sickening _cra-ack _had the nausea once again burning its way back up the woman's throat, the man falling to to the ground, hair fisted by the demon and the man's head was yanked forcibly back, a palm strike hitting the bottom of the man's chin squarely, sending him sprawled backwards to the ground.**5**

Slowly, the demon turned to the man with the knife, who had been watching in a horrified silence as his fellow gang members had been taken down one by one. Backing up a step, the man rose the knife shakily in front of himself, trying and failing to set his features in a position akin to intimidating.

Grabbing the out stretched arm holding the knife around the wrist, the demon used its other hand to quickly knock the back of his fist into the side of the man's head, reaching around the arm still holding the man's wrist to take hold of his hand, spinning round to twist the man's arm awkwardly at the side, locking the appendage, and causing the man to drop the knife with a low grunt.**6 T**he demon purred out in a silky voice that caused the woman to shudder,

"This is the warning sent to you, to take to your leader, from the _Jinchuuriki__,_" The word sent a shudder running down the man's spine, trembling clearly visible to the woman, "Do not take our words lightly. Disband Hebi, on the grounds of the rules evidently broken. There will be no second warning."

The woman realized what the demon was going to do just in time to look away, but not to escape the heart wrenching cry of pain or the sharp, deafening _cr-a-ck_! that bounced back at her over and over. Pushed over the edge, the woman rolled onto her hands and knees, heaving everything from her stomach.

Trying to control the violent sobs shaking her entire frame, the woman glanced over her shoulder with streaming eyes to see that the demon was gone.

All that was left to prove it was once there was a blood red ribbon tied to the end of a kunai in the middle of the fallen men, softly moving with the wind.

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1 - Each gang has it's own way of showing who belongs to their gang, such as a mask, _hint, hint_, or a tattoo. It'll be better explained later.

2 - That was taken from a real technique in Taijitsu, the real move is actually used when someone has grabbed the front of your shirt and is about to throw a punch. I shortened it a bit, but that's where I took the idea from.

**3** - This is from Tak Won Doe, a friend of mine showed me after her gym class had an instructor in for a two week preview.

**4** - I only recommend this if someone tells you they are throwing a punch at you and do it in slow motion, otherwise you'll get smacked in the face. **Hard**. This is another technique from Taijitsu, altered because I couldn't remember the finishing strike.

**5** - This is a kick mixed in with half a technique. The crestant kick is using the side of your leg beneath the knee, and the half technique is from a head lock escape. It won't work if you don't have the first part, trust me on that. It's embaressing to get wrong, too, 'cause you look like a moron frailing around reaching for their head.

**6** - Starting of a locking technique in Taijitsu. I had the whole thing written out at frist, but I kept thinking 'oh my god, what if someone actually tries this?!' It's fairly easy to break the arm from there, but I'm too scared to put how in case someone actually tries, because if the person even struggles they could brake their own arm. Take Taijitsu if you want to learn it.

I took Taijitsu for a little over a year and got to Purple Belt before quitting. My advice to those who take it, practise and keep notes. I really wish I had, I was always praised for picking things up quickly, but I forgot soon enough if I didn't practise, and I didn't take detailed enough notes to see where I was going wrong. Taijitsu is a system that pretty much has everything wrapped into one, escaping, breaking, locking, grappling, weapons, kei (it seriously works), theory, and a hell of a lot more. Eh he, sorry for ranting.

I figured people must be getting bored of reading all talk and no action. Would you rather longer chapters, or shorter chapters and quicker updates? Let me know what you think, please,

KyoKotou


	4. Not Hiding

Happy Canada Day, Canadians!

Happy Fourth of July, Americans.

Fireworks in my town suck, hope yours were better.

Warning: Violence, language, and eventual shonen ai, possible yaoi.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor any of it's characters. I got the idea of the format of this chapter of Drunk Elves 'Smudge' on .

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_Sigh_.

Uchiha is pissed. Again.

I can only assume by the death he is inflecting on to the surrounding council members via glare that it has something to do with one Naruto Uzumaki.

Troublesome.

Uchiha looks like he's about to kill someone.

Which is bad.

Naruto is one of my best friends, and if Uchiha kills him, I'll only have Choji and Kiba left.

Which is a drag.

_Sigh_.

So troublesome.

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I am not hiding.

I'm _not_.

Naruto Uzumaki never hides.

No.

I am simply sitting underneath my teacher's desk because...

Well...

Not because I'm hiding.

Because Naruto Uzumaki does not hide.

I am... having some quiet time.

I think.

_Yeah_.

Quiet time...

I like that!

QUIET time.

Yes.

Not hiding.

Eh heh.

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Ugh!

Where is he?

I am going to kill him.

I have been looking for the Dobe all damn lunch and what do I find?

A migrane and the pink engerizer bunny clinging to my arm, blabbering a mile a minute.

Oh. Uzumaki is _so_ dead.

As soon as I find him.

Which will be soon.

Why?

Because Uchiha's get what they want, and right now, I want a dead Uzumaki.

But I have to give it to the Dobe.

I thought he would be attempting another lame prank right now.

I guess even Uzumaki has the common sense to run from an Uchiha scorned.

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Oh. My. Gosh.

_Omigosh_!

I think I have died and gone to heaven.

I am currently walking through the halls with _the_ Sasuke Uchiha.

And he's even touching me!

Well.

I have a death grip on his arm that he gave up trying to break after the first five minutes or so, but still...

_Sigh_.

Heaven.

Oh. Ino-Pig just saw us.

_Snort._

I didn't know jaws could actually hit the ground.

Wish I had a camera.

_Priceless_.

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Ow.

My back, neck and legs are aching from being squashed in an awkward angle.

Maybe I should find a new hiding spot...

Nah.

Uchiha's out there.

_Waiting_.

So long as Uchiha doesn't know the whole story, he won't go to the Principal.

So, if I hide...

Well, not _hide_ exactly...

Just stay in small, secluded areas that people would rarely look for me in until I graduate, everything will be fine.

Yes.

And people doubt my logic.

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I now have made a list.

1) Find Dobe.

2) Question.

3) Kill. _Slowly_.

4) Find the damn loud mouthed pink _thing'_s batteries and destroy.

5) Destroy all batteries, everywhere.

6) Finish homework.

Ugh!

It just keeps going and _going_...

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Owwie!

Everything hurts!

Why did I come to school today?

Ouch!

Dammit, who cares if I get kicked out of school, anyway, I'm sure Alaska's nice this time of year...

...Was that the door?

Shit!

I don't wanna go to Alaska! I don't_ like _snow and cold and polar bears and...

Kakashi-Sensei?

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_Siiigh_.

Sarutobi-Sama is so_ mean_.

How can he _not_ see the advantage of such classic books as the _Paradise_ series?

It's discrimination, dammit!

Jiraiya-Sama is a genius.

My percious, percious books, banned...

_Sigh._

...Wait...

How does he know what the Paradise series is even about?

...

...

...

...Ew.

...

...

...

...Blackmail!

Oh, revenge is _sweet._

All I have to do is get my books from my desk and...

Why is there a cowering Uzumaki under my desk?

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Hate Kakashi-Sensei. Kicking me out of the room just because I'm '_irresponsible', _and '_can't be left alone'_.

Like he's one to talk.

Bastard.

If Uchiha-Teme kills me, I'm coming back to haunt him.

There will be _no_ mercy.

_Eep!_

Was that black mop of hair in the shape of a duck butt Uchiha?

No, I don't think so.

There's _so_ many people with duck butts for heads now adays...

...But I think I'll run away, just for good measure.

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_Why_ is it still going?

I can't even make out the words anymore, they're all starting to slur together...

I can practically _feel_ my brain melting.

If I wasn't an Uchiha, I was have snapped so long ago...

Uchiha honor or not, no one will notice if one pink headed siren goes...

Was that a flash of orange?

Why was the flash of orange important again?

Uzumaki.

Source of all evil on Earth.

Find, question, kill.

_Right_.

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I can feel all the jealous, murderous auras from Sasuke-Kun's fan girls around us.

And so they should be jealous.

We're getting along so well, he's _such_ a good listener!

I mean, really, I'm obviously Sasuke-Kun's favour--

Heeeeyyyyyyyyy!!

Where's he going?!

Why's he running away?!

Orange.

Naruto.

No more Sasuke.

Uzumaki must _die_.

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Dammit.

I can hear the Teme's footsteps behind me.

I'm going to die.

Maybe it won't be so bad if I stop now...

Ah, _hell_.

I've never been one to do things the easy way.

I'm going down swinging.

Er- Running.

I'm going down running.

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Damn Dobe.

Since when is he so freaking fast?

Dammit.

I wonder if he realizes he's headed for the roof?

Moron.

He is _so_ dead.

After questions.

Uchiha's stick to their lists.

Yes.

Find, question, kill, batteries.

_Right_.

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Sorry for the short chapter, it's just somewhat of a filler.

Review, please and thank you! I really don't know if people like this fic or if I should delete it,

KyoKotou


	5. Gaara

Warning: Violence, language, and eventual shonen-ai, possible yaoi

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of its characters. If I did, I would buy a panda. Why? I saw it on television once.

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The door to the roof of Hidden Leaf High was nearly knocked off its hinges as Naruto threw himself past the doorway, stumbling up the stairs and into the light drizzle falling from dark grey clouds, effectively blocking the sun.

Slowing to a stop, Naruto doubled over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath after being chased through the school by an angry Uchiha.

The bell for forth period had rung a few minutes ago and Naruto had lost Sasuke in the crowd of students as they got ready of the second half of the day. There was no way the Student Council president would skip class, much less chance an Uchiha Naruto would wait a few more minutes before hightailing back home.

"Right..." Naruto huffed, straightening himself up a bit, "Hiding is definitely not going to--"

Naruto was unable to finish his sentence as something large and heavy collided with his back, knocking the breath from him in a loud_ whish_, and sending him crashing to the ground, whatever had run into him still on his back.

"_Who were you hiding from, Dobe?_" A shudder ran down Naruto's spin as the heavy breathing made contact with his skin. Shifting slightly, Naruto glanced over his shoulder to meet furious onyx eyes.

Laughing nervously, the blonde squirmed a bit, trying to wriggle out from under the livid teen sitting on his back. "R-really, Teme, you have a horrible habit of eavesdropping. Or is it only with me?"

Glaring down at the back of the blonde head of the _devil_, Sasuke's eyes narrowed even further, digging his knees into the blonde's sides, effectively stopping all struggles with a loud hiss of pain.

"You will finish explaining everything, _now_." Sasuke snarled, ignoring the younger teens ravings about 'heavy ass bastards' and 'freaking pointy knees'. He had chased the moron all over the school, and he'd be damned if he didn't get some answers.

"Don't you have a class to get to?" Naruto shot back, wincing as the damn bastard jabbed his boney knees father into his ribs. That was _so_ going to bruise.

"Now, Moron. I won't ask nicely again."

'This _is nicely_?' Naruto thought, considering bucking the larger teen off of him and making a run for it. There was probably only so far Naruto could push Sasuke before he forgot about the blonde's explaination and just went to the principal. He really couldn't afford to be kicked out of the school, it would be too suspicious.

Sighing in defeat, the blonde mumbled grudgingly, "This... really isn't the best place for this...conversation. Someone could be hiding behind the door for no good reason, listening to everything." Naruto rolled his eyes at this, he never had found out why Sasuke had been on the roof yesterday, "I really don't want a repeat of this nightmare. Besides, we're getting soaked."

It had started to rain harder now, and Sasuke only noticed that both he and Naruto were completely drenched when the Dobe had mentioned it. After hesitating for a moment, Sasuke moved off of Naruto, compelled by a rather cold drop of rain running down the length of his spine to move this conversation to somewhere dry.

"Fine, Dobe. Let's go. Where do you suggest?" Naruto, who was still pushing himself to his feet, looked up at Sasuke in suprise.

"What, now? But-but school...?" Naruto had been hoping he would be able to head home early and postpone this conversation a little bit longer. It had worked yesterday, after all.

Snorting, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's elbow and dragged him towards the door of the roof, wanting to get out of the school before the bell rang for fifth period. "We can't go through the rest of the day soaking wet, Dobe. I'll tell my teachers tomorrow that I had to do something for the student council," Onyx eyes stared at the blonde pointedly, "I'm sure they'll understand."

Naruto feigned a gasp, stumbling down the stairs after the Uchiha, still being dragged by the elbow, "What, abuse your position of power? Well, I never." His sarcasm was rewarded by Sasuke digging his nails painfully into his skin.

"Where are we going, anyway? I don't want to be walking in the rain for too long.". '_I would reather walk in the rain forever than have to explain. Especially to this bastard. _'

"You wanted somewhere where no one would over hear, right, Dobe? Then, I have the perfect place."

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"_Gaara? ...I'm going to have to call you back_." Jade eyes narrowed in suspicion at the nervous and guarded tone coming from the other end of the mobile phone.

Pushing off from the wall he had previously been leaning against, a youth with dark ringed jade eyes with no eyebrows and the kanji 'ai' tattooed in blood red ink on his forehead, matching the colour of his hair, shoved his phone back into his jeans pocket, a scowl twisting at his features.

Exiting the alley quickly, the seventeen year old dragged the hood of his black hoodie low over his eyes, hiding the anxiety evident in them.

_'Damn it, Naruto. What have you gotten yourself into this time?'_

People on the street avoided the hooded teen, giving him a wide berth as he walked past, looking away as they tried to discreetly walk faster. Gaara didn't notice, he was far too used to the wariness the people of Suna had for anything remotely suspicious or frightening.

_'Cowards. You can't run forever. If we weren't here, would you be able to save yourselves? Would you fight to survive, or would you allow yourselves to die?_'

It sickened Gaara to think he used to be like that until he had met Naruto.

_A young red headed boy no older than eight or nine years old curled into a tight ball in the middle of a deserted park, small arms desperately trying to protect himself from the relentless assault far too fimiliar to a child his age._

_'Why? Why me?' Tears gathered at the edges of tightly clenched eyes, but the boy refused to cry in front of his tormentors, refusing to show weakness. 'I won't give them the satisfaction.'_

_A well aimed kick to the boy's back caused an unbiddened cry of pain to escape his throat, earning harsh words and loud laughter from the teens around him._

_"Monster! You're just like your father, a useless murderer!"_

_'I'm not. I'm not my father. I'm not like him...'_

_A resounding __**SMACK! **__of flesh hitting flesh followed by a low grunt and shouts had Gaara cautiously opening his eyes, uncomprending why he didn't feel a new pain._

_A boy smaller than himself with blonde hair was throwing punch after punch at three older boys, faces hidden by either hoods or hats, undeterred by the larger fists thrown back at him._

_"Who the hell are you to decide that?! Why should he pay for the choices his father made?!" The boy's face with twisted with anger, teeth bared and a loud growl rising from the back of his throat as he continued to connect his fists with anything he could reach, unfased by the damage he took in return._

_"Tell me what he's done wrong! Who has he murdered?! What has he done to you to earn your hatred?!" The blonde boy was panting heavily, glowering after the older boys as they took their leave with angry shouts of revenge and ugly curses._

_The blonde boy's shoulders slumped and his angry scowl faded to a sorrowful gaze as the boy mumbled almost too softly for Gaara to hear, "Why should we pay for the sins of our fathers..."_

_Tears ran freely down Gaara's face, not from the pain of the attack, but from finally being acknowledged as his own person, and not as the son of a monster. A happiness he hadn't felt since before his uncle... since before the incident was swelling in his chest, hope keeping him from being completely wary of the strange boy._

_Gaara tensed slightly, pushing himself up from the ground without taking his eyes off the boy as the blonde turned to face him, a large grin splitting his face dispite his bleeding nose and bruising cheek._

_Slowly walking closer, the blonde boy held out his hand to Gaara, brilliant blue eyes showing his sincerity and a warm smile directed at him causing more unwelcomed tears to be shed._

_"Ne, are you alright? I'm-" The blonde boy was cut off as a loud, annoyed voice carried through the park to the boys._

_"Naruto! Gaki, hurry up, we've gotta get back!" Gaara looked over the blonde boy's shoulder to see a teenager with darker red hair than himself standing by the enterance of the park, the aggressive stance he was in with his hands planted on hips and legs spread wide apart was softened by the gentle smile that was directed at the boys._

_Turning back to Gaara, the boy known as Naruto smiled kindly at him before letting his face grow into a foxy grin, grabbing Gaara's partially out stretched hand and shaking it enthusiastically. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Nice to meet you!" _

_Getting over his initial shock of someone touching him, Gaara let his hand tighten around Naruto, mumbling a quiet, "...Gaara."_

It was in that moment that Gaara's life changed forever.

It wasn't until a few years later that Gaara and Naruto had met again, but knowing that there was someone out there that acknowledged him as his own person, not judging him from what he had heard from others or assuming he was his father's shadow had given him the courage to fight back, to prove he was different than what the people of Suna thought. Gaara owed Naruto everything, it was because of Naruto that Gaara had not only found the will to live, but a reason.

_Panting heavily, a red headed boy around thirteen years old dropped to his knees, clutching his left shoulder with his right hand._

_Slowly, Emotionless jade eyes swept over the motionless bodies thrown across the ground around him in the large alley, taking in the faces of his most recent attackers._

_Jade eyes stopped on a fimiliar face, taking in the vaguely visible scar ridden, wrinkled, and aged face, and Gaara's lips pulled back in an almost animalistical way to show his tightly clenched teeth. Pushing himself up from the ground and stumbling over to the prone body, Gaara's eyes widening until it looked like they would fall out of his skull._

_Dropping back down to the ground beside the unconcious man, Gaara grabbed a fist full of the man's shirt, dragging the top half of the man's body off the ground and towards him, the man's head lolled back limply._

_This man had been with almost every group of assailants that had attacked Gaara since he had started to defending himself. Since he had met Naruto Uzumaki almost four years ago, Gaara had refused to take whatever was thrown at him, choosing instead to fight back, learning quickly how to fend and take care of himself._

_"Why?!" Gaara growled at the man, shaking him roughly by the shirt, the man's head thrashing around hazardously, voice raising in volume the farther he got in his rant, "Why do I... Why am I the only one that has to go through all of this?! What have I done to earn the title of Monster?!"_

_Gaara stopped violently shaking the limp body, letting it fall back against the ground as he slowly calmed down enough to realize he wouldn't be getting an answer._

_"You know why."_

_Gaara whipped around at the sound of the voice, finding the source as a person wearing a porcelain mask shaped to resemble a fox emerged from the shadows at the back of the alley._

_'Small,' Gaara noticed, rising to his feet, 'younger than me, probably.' The figure slowly approached Gaara, paying no mind to the bodies littering the ground. _

_"Who the hell are you?" Gaara snarled, taking a moment to appraise the masked kid as the boy nelt down beside one of the motionless forms on the concrete._

_The boy was, as Gaara first noticed, small. Baggy jeans hid slim legs, but a dark red long sleeved shirt was fitted to his thin arms, a thin, black chinese style vest was hiding the small torso and the bottom of the mask as the vest continued up in a wide ark away from the boy's neck and up towards his face. Blonde hair framed the fox like mask that was now once again facing him._

_Gaara's hands formed into tight fists at his sides, waiting for the boy to attack. 'He's probably not very strong, but if he's stupid enough to try and fight me he must have something up his sleeve. Speed? Weapons?'_

_Still in a crouch beside the seemingly forgotten body, a fingerless gloved hand rose towards the mask, causing Gaara to take a wary step back. Gaara was closer to the exit then to the boy, but he'd be damned if he ran from some brat. _

_Slowing, the mask was lifted away from the boy's face, dropping to the boy's side as he slowly rose to his feet, eyes closed._

_"I'm not here to fight you," Gaara wasn't listening, trying to place where he had seen that face before. It was different, yes, three scars ran on either side of the boy's face, and it seemed to have lost some of its baby fat, but, Gaara had definitely seen it somewhere before. It wasn't until the bright blue eyes opened to look directly into Gaara's that he remembered._

_"N...Naruto?" Gaara gasped, fury momentarily forgotten by shock._

_Naruto's face split into a wide grin, eyes crinkling around the edges. "You remember me, then? I'm glad. I asked if I could be the one to come talk to you when I realized you were that same boy that time when I was in Suna before."_

_"Come talk to me? Why?" Naruto's grin faded into a kind smile, as he walked forward towards Gaara._

_"Have you ever heard of the Jinchuuriki, Gaara?" Gaara shoke his head wearily, wondering if Naruto was trying to recruit him into a gang. He hated the idea of a group of people harassing and murdering innocent people just because they could. It bitterly reminded him of his past. He had been offered to join a few gangs in Suna, but he had refused all of them._

_A bitterness akin to betrayal welled in Gaara's chest as he realized what was happening. The person that he thought back on for strength was now standing in front of him, only so that he would join his gang._

_Before Gaara could voice his accusation, Naruto was talking again. "The Jinchuuriki is a.. an organization with the purpose of keeping gangs all throughout Fire Country under control. The Jinchuuriki monitors gangs to make sure they aren't causing too much trouble, destroying things, killing innocent people."_

_Gaara stared at Naruto blankly, trying to determine whether he was out of his mind or not. If he was, it would explain why he wasn't afraid of Gaara._

_"I can't explain everything here," Naruto continued, oblvious to Gaara's thoughts, "but I wanted to be the one to explain it to you. You need to understand before you decide. Fire Country has been ruled by gangs for years, ruled by fear. Jinchuuriki does something about it, keeps the gangs from being as out of control as it was in the beginning. The gangs are still there, yes, but innocent people are protected now."_

_Naruto hesitated for a moment, before continuing loudly, voice seeping with emotion, "All of us think it's not our busniess to fix a problem that isn't about me. If we make a choice, be the voice for even those that won't stand up for themselves, how many lives could we save, change, or rearrange? You want to prove yourself, don't you? Prove you aren't a monster, protect those that can't protect themselves! Make the choice."_

_Gaara continued to stare at Naruto in disbelief. Was there really a group that protected people from gangs? 'protect those that can't protect themselves!' Naruto definitely seemed like the type to risk his lifes for others._

_For the second time in his life, a hand was out stretched towards Gaara in kindness instead of violence. After hesitating for only a moment, Gaara took the hand, smiling slightly as Naruto's face broke once again into a whole hearted grin._

That had been the second time Naruto had changed Gaara's life. 

'_I'm sorry! I don't think she saw my face, but she knocked my hood down!_'

The scowl found it's way back to Gaara's face as he glared a hole into the sidewalk under his feet. With the recent increase in gang activity, they all had to be on guard at all times. So, of course, Naruto goes exposing himself for all of Kohona.

'_He wasn't wearing his mask, so someone could've seen his face, but because he didn't have his mask with him, if anyone saw they most likely wouldn't connect him to the Jinchuuriki_.' Gaara sighed inwardly, _'Idiot wouldn't notice common sense if it appeared to him in the form of ramen_.'

Slowly weighing the possible outcomes, Gaara calmed down a bit. As long as Naruto wasn't connected to the Jinchuuriki, he could handle himself. Any gang member that saw Naruto take down the Sound Four would try to convince Naruto to join their gang, but Naruto could deal with that easily. And if he couldn't... well, Gaara had already found a way to keep an eye on Naruto. It wasn't like that Knuckle-headed moron would willing admit to screwing up.

Gaara had sent Temari, his older sister, to Hidden Leaf High, so she could report to Gaara if Naruto had any new injuries or if he was missing school for an extended period of time. Besides, he wanted to keep her away from the gangs in Suna as much as possible. They were getting desperate to try and get Gaara to join them recently...

Gaara's hand clenched around his phone in his pocket. If anything happened, Gaara would also go to Kohona. Naruto was his first friend, there was absolutely no way Gaara would let anything happen to him.

Glancing up at the sky from under his hood, Gaara sighed out loud. It was nearly sun down, once again time to protect those that feared and hated him from those that caused the fear and hatred.

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Sorry if it was a boring chapter, I was going to put more, but I decided to just start a new chapter instead.

The only pairing I've decided on is Naruto and Sasuke, let me know if you want any others. Please let me know what you think,

KyoKotou


	6. Answers

Warning: Slight language, shonen-ai possible yaoi

Diclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor any of its characters.

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Blue eyes grudgingly glared at the recently polished maghony coffee table positioned in front of long, dark couch the blonde was sitting on, silently willing it to burst into flames. Maybe that would be enough to get him out of the _mansion _every girl in Kohona would kill to be in.

_I most likely will be killed_, Naruto wailed inwardly, though his face betrayed no emotion, _Even if Uchiha let's me stay at Hidden Leaf, I'll be killed for letting out so much information, Uchiha as well. It really would be easier to just..._

But he couldn't. Well, that wasn't true. Naruto _wouldn't_ kill Sasuke, even though there was no doubt in the blonde's mind that he could. Even if Sasuke was a bastard, the two had known each other for years, and Naruto wouldn't kill Sasuke just to protect himself.

A muffled clinking drew the blonde's attention away from his mental melt down to a steaming cup sitting infront of him on the coffee table he had been mentally trying to set on fire.

Without glancing up, Naruto listened as the older boy situated himself, while trying to fine tune what he was planning to say. _What's the point in even trying, the best I can do is organize it. I'll have to tell him everything._

Taking a long breath, Naruto met Sasuke's eyes, trying to convey the urgency and sincerity of his words through them. "I... First, you have to understand... If you repeat what I'm about to say to anyone, Sasuke, we're both dead. The... the _group_ I'm with, it was created with the sole purpose of hunting down and eliminating bad people; murderers, rapists, sadistic bastards with a God complex... anyone who tries to prove just how _superier _they are, how laws and innocence has no hold on them, we're there to stop them, to show them where their complex'll land them."

The discoloured face twisted into a scowl, blue eyes dropping from onyx to watch his hands form into fists in his lap. "But for all our hard work, for everything we risk, we're hunted in return. Gangs are all about power and control... no limitataions. Our group... The _Jinchuuriki_... we're the only limitation they have, the only barrier to keep them from completely taking over not only Kohona, but all of Fire Country."

Naruto bit his tongue to keep himself from continuing his rant, glancing up from his lap to check the Uchiha's expression. Stoic as always, Sasuke sat across from him in a large black velvet armchair, a mug of his own in hand. Discarding the blank pale features, blue eyes searched straight for Sasuke's almost black ones, the only part of the youngest Uchiha that would betray any kind of emotion.

Breaking eye contact before Naruto could get any idea of what the raven haired boy was thinking, Sasuke leaned forward to put his mug on the coffee table situated between the two boys, pushing the blonde's closer to the boy before settling with his elbows resting on his knees, fingers interlocked infront of noses.

"Questions already?" Naruto asked in pitiful attempt at a playful tone, reaching for the proffered cup. A quick sniff had his mouth watering at the fimiliar aroma. How long had it been since he had had hot chocolate? Still, he didn't take a sip, instead eyeing the distracted Uchiha, trying to catch any hint of fowl play. A shiver ran down the blonde's spine, reminding him he was still soaked from the rain, in encouragement that the Uchiha was only trying to be nice, but wouldn't it be perfect if as soon as Naruto had spilled to the Uchiha, he concidently dropped dead.

A pitch black eyebrow rose at the blonde's odd behaviour, and with a sigh Naruto took a small sip of the scorching liquid. He had been listening to Anko-sempai for far too long if he really thought that Sasuke would poison him. Well, for the gang situation anyways, but if it were to do with his constant pranks...

"Before, you said there were few members of your... _group, _that you each run a city of Fire Country. Exactly how many did you mean? How do you make the rest of the gangs follow the rules? How do you know which gangs are breaking the rules?" Sasuke watched obsessively as Naruto fidgetted, watching for any signs of lies.

"Sorry, I was still trying to crop my answers then. When I said there were few of us, I meant few that actually enforce the rules, that have one place, a certain area to watch over, to be in charge of. There are seven in total. When the Jinchuurkik first formed, there were nine but... the way those two died, it was so..._selfless _no one would have been able to take their place. They're called the _bijuu__**1**__, _the sacarfices of the Jinchuuriki... or the tailed beasts. I'm one of them, the nine tailed kitsune, _Kyuubi_. But there has got to be at least a hundred of actual members, all over the place. Anyone that has been wronged by the gangs and has been recommended by another member is sought out to join."

Naruto was silent for a moment, thinking over the rest of Sasuke's questions. The Uchiha had to bite his tongue to keep from asking anymore in the silence.

"Most gangs are just people waving around weapons with no real idea how to use them. The Bijuu are the only ones who actually fight, the rest of the Jinchuuriki are dedicated to keeping an eye on the gangs, and make sure they follow the rules. You remember the rules?" At the raven's swift nod, Naruto continued, slower than he had been speaking before, "The rest of the gangs follow the rules because the Bijuu are all trained in either martial arts of weapons before they are even asked to join. It's easy for us to disband any gangs that go against the rules, and they know it, so they try to keep off our radar."

Naruto paused again, waiting for Sasuke to add to his list of questions.

"How long has the Jinchuuriki been around? Who formed it?" Naruto blinked slowly at the questions, taken off guard a little by just how interested and intent he was for details on the Jinchuuriki. _Maybe he really is a gang member. _Naruto thought wearily, eyeing the hot chocolate again suspiciously.

"The leader of the Jinchuuriki is known as the _Hokage. _We have our fifth hokage right now, but she hasn't been in charge long. The first Hokage's name? Sorry, but you have to understand that I can't tell you that. I'm already a traitor for telling you this much, but the first thing we are taught in the Jinchuuriki is secrecy. Even if I've been discovered, I can't tell you anyone else." Naruto's blue eyes resembled ice as he stared the Uchiha down, daring him to ask again.

"Why are _you _a member of the Jinchuuriki? The Bijuu? You said they all had to have some kind of training." Sasuke asked instead, knowing from experience that Naruto was truly stubborn when he wanted to be.

"Me?" Naruto sat back on the couch, both suprised that the conversation had turned in his direction, and that he hadn't realized that he had been leaning in over the coffee table towards the Uchiha when they had been talking. _Not that he wasn't leaning to, but he's eager for answers. Maybe Gaara's right, maybe there is something wrong with my guard. _Naruto sighed, running a hand through his still damp hair.

"I'm a member for the same reason anyone else is, I have a personal reason to want to be rid of all gangs. I'm a member of the Bijuu because I _am _trained in martial arts and with weapons, though my proficency is martial arts. And because my reason is strong enough that I'm trusted to give up my life if it were to benefit the Jinchuuriki." Naruto looked away from the dark eyes boring into him, trying to show with his body language that he wouldn't tell the Uchiha is reason even if he asked.

Taking the hint, Sasuke asked instead, "And Gaara is?"

Smirking slightly, the blonde looked back at Sasuke, showing the smirk didn't reach his eyes. "Both of our worst nightmares if he ever finds out how much I've told you."

Nodding, the Uchiha stored that away in the back of his mind in case he ever met this Gaara. Opening his mouth to ask another question, the dark eyes locked onto a small puddle at the blonde's feet. "You're dripping." Sasuke stated instead, standing up and motioning for the blonde to follow him.

"What? Oh," Naruto looked down at the puddle, cheeks taking on a slight pink tint as he set down his mug on the table and followed after the older boy, "Sorry."

"Hn," Sasuke called back over his shoulder as he led the younger boy through the labyrinth of halls leading to his room. Opening the door, he glanced back over his shoulder to make sure the blonde hadn't gotten lost, noticing the awed look in the boy's eyes as he followed at a decent distance from the Uchiha.

"Dobe." Naruto turned from looking at the seemingly expensive paintings adorning the walls to see the dark haired youth turn into a room a ways down the hall.

"Not a dobe, teme." The blonde sulked as he followed Sasuke into the room, spotting him on the other side of the large, dark coloured room rummaging through his drawers.

Before Naruto could ask what the Uchiha was doing, the raven had thrown a bundle at the smaller teen as hard as he could. Moving out of reflex, the blonde caught the bundle while sinking into a low crouch, as though unsure which direction an attack was coming from, but still expecting an attack nonetheless.

"Hn," Sasuke smirked as he walked past the still crouching blonde, "You can change in here."

The door closed with a snap, and Naruto blinked in suprise. _He was testing me, _he thought numbly, looking down to see the bundle was actually a pile of clothing. _He was testing me to see if I was telling the truth._

On the other side door, the smirking raven was leaning against the wall across from the door to his room, waiting for the Dobe to get changed.

_"Stupid teme!" _His smirk widened at the muffled shout from the changing blonde, "_Even when he's being nice he's a bastard!_"

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Naruto was still grumbling about _stupid, cheating temes, _as he sat once again on the couch in the large large living room across from the Uchiha, now donning a too large navy t-shirt that had sleeves that passed his elbows and kept slipping off his shoulder, and a black pair of shorts, that were also too long for him but still managed to accent the snow white bandage wrapped around the length of his leg.

"What you told Gaara on the phone," Sasuke asked as he eyes the blonde's various injuries, "Only explains what happened to your face, if that was indeed the truth."

Stopping midrant, Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly, once again turning to ice, "I only had to tell you about the Jinchuuriki, not answer every question you can come up with. So, are you going to have me expelled, Uchiha-sama?" Naruto inwardly smirked as Sasuke glowered at the use of most of the teacher's title for him.

"No. Or at least, not yet." The Uchiha growled out, watching Naruto's slightly relieved face. "But if I find out you've been lying to me, Dobe, don't expect to get in to any school in Fire Country."

Smiling widely, Naruto stood from the couch, lacing his arms through the straps of his backpack as he headed for the door. "You don't get it, do you, Uchiha?" Naruto stopped in the doorway leading to the foyer, meeting Sasuke's eyes over his shoulder. "It's not about _education_. It's about _cover._ If I get kicked out of Hidden Leaf, people are going to wondering why. If I don't have a gang to my name, it won't take long for people to put two and two together."

"If people find out you are a member of the Jinchuuriki, what'll happen?" Sasuke asked in a disinterested voice, trying to sound as though the question had come to him on a whim.

"I'll either be killed by the gangs who don't appreciate being limited in what they think is theirs to take, or the Jinchuuriki will kill me for not being able to keep my secret, and they'll find a replacement for me, as they did for the Nine Tails that I suceeded." With that, the blonde left the room, only the clack of the door returning to the frame signaling the blonde's departure.

Sasuke was too busy to notice, however as the sentence, _'bijuu, the sacarfices of the Jinchuuriki' _replayed itself time and again in the raven's mind.

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**1 **Sorry, I know I spelt this wrong, can someone please tell me the proper spelling?

Sorry I haven't updated for a while, I couldn't think of how to start this chapter, this has to be at least the fourth version.

Please let me know what you think or if you have any questions. Sorry if it's confusing.

KyoKotou


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